On Apr 16, 1:17*pm, Tim Shoppa wrote:
On Apr 14, 6:07*pm, David Harmon wrote:

Is there any particular plug/socket type connector that is an accepted
standard or most prevalent kind for connecting a CW key to a radio?

Quarter inch phone plug is most common on equipment from the 50's,
60's, 70's. A few use a phono (RCA) plug.

A lot of recent equipment has an 1/8" stereo jack that allows you to
use an iambic paddle on the rig's built in keyer.

There have in the past few months been a couple of QST reviews of
paddles and portable paddles where, for some bizarre reason, the
reviewer assumed that a typical user was incapable of wiring the
connecting plug or correcting the wiring if left and right was
reversed. I thought this was a little odd, but maybe a lot of newbie
hams really cannot wire a plug. I will admit that the cheapie plugs
and jacks from Radio Shack, Mouser, etc., are pretty crappy and melt
the insulator if you are too heavy handed with a soldering gun. The
Switchcraft plugs and jacks (a lot more money than the cheap stuff!)
are a joy to work with.

Tim.

Which is not to say that Mouser ONLY carries "cheapie" plugs and
jacks. They are a Deltron distributor, and Deltron makes some really
fine parts. For one of their 1/4" phone plugs, see
http://www.dem-uk.com/DEM_PDFs/326.pdf. I've been using Deltron XLR
connectors for over 10 years, and find they are a real joy to assemble
and to use, and have held up extremely well in a professional audio
environment. The XLRs beat the Switchcrafts hands down, and I
personally like them better than Neutrik. But their over $10 each
price for 1/4" phone plugs probably isn't for everyone. ;-) (Mouser
also sells Switchcraft...)

Cheers,
Tom